Former Braves fan favorite's surprising betrayal could come back to haunt them

Once upon a time, Mike Soroka looked like a future ace in the making. In fact, in his first full season, he pitched like an ace and even finished sixth in the NL Cy Young balloting. Unfortunately, Soroka never found a way to replicate his breakout 2019 season thanks in large part to injuries, and the Atlanta Braves wound up trading him to the Chicago White Sox in the deal that brought Aaron Bummer to the Braves.

For much of the 2024 campaign, it appeared as if Alex Anthopoulos had pulled off another masterclass. Bummer was pitching well out of Atlanta's bullpen, and Soroka was bumped from Chicago's rotation after just nine starts. While Bummer still wound up being a worthwhile addition, Soroka improved drastically pitching out of the bullpen on the South Side, leading to a good amount of interest on the open market.

That interest finally turned into a deal, as the right-hander reportedly signed with the Washington Nationals on Thursday according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. FanSided's Robert Murray reported that it's a one-year deal worth $9 million. He will be used as a starting pitcher for the Nationals, and make his return to the NL East in the process.

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Braves miss out on opportunity to bring Mike Soroka back to Atlanta

As a starter, Soroka couldn't have looked much worse than he did, but he was nothing short of dominant in relief. The right-hander posted a 2.75 ERA in 16 appearances and 36 innings of work coming out of the bullpen, and notably fanned 60 batters in those innings. Whether he can figure it out again as a starter remains to be seen, but at that price tag, it's a worthwhile gamble for a team like the Nationals to take.

Should the Braves have committed to him as a starter? Perhaps not, based on how he pitched in that role this past season, but the Braves need depth. Max Fried left as a free agent, Charlie Morton might follow, and Spencer Strider is not expected to be ready for Opening Day. Sure, the Braves have guys like Ian Anderson and Bryce Elder in their organization, but does Soroka not offer a bit more intrigue, especially with how dominant he looked to finish out the year? Even if the Braves used him as a starter until Strider returns and out of the bullpen after that, a deal would've made sense if he was open to a return.

Perhaps in a starting role, he'll struggle. If that does happen, then it's fair to say that the Braves missed out, as $9 million for a reliever is a substantial price tag. However, with how he finished the year, there's reason to believe that he unlocked something. Moving away from the worst team in modern MLB history can't possibly hurt, either.

Is this a huge deal? Probably not. However, Soroka is joining the NL East with a chance to get revenge on his old squad, and the Braves let another pitcher who could've been a fit with the team depart. Considering that Jordan Weems and Connor Gillispie are Atlanta's only two pitching additions thus far and Soroka signed a relatively cheap deal in this market to start games for a division rival, it's safe to wonder whether this deal will actually end up haunting them.